Method and apparatus for handling strand



Nov. 5, 1968 G. E BENSON METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRAND 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 31, 1966 INVENTOR. 6a5my 5 fif/i/FOA/ BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,409,195" ANDAPPARATUS FOR HANDLING STRAND Gustav E. Benson, Greenville, R.I., assignor to Owens- Corning Fiberglas Corporation, a corporation of Delaware v i 'j Filed May 31, 1966, Ser. No. 554,057 p 6 Claims. (Cl. 22 67) METHOD This invention relates to a method and apparatus for collecting strand and more particularly strand which is initially moving at high speedalong a lineal path, the speed of which strand must'bedecreased substantially before beingxcollected. The apparatus of the invention ineludes-a strand-receivingspinner which has a diverging exit end facilitatingemergence ofthe strand.

Strands of-glass filaments are commonly made from a bushing containing molten glass,as is known in the art. Whenat-proper temperature-in the bushing, the glass is drawn through a'multiplicity of bushing tips in the bottom of..tl1e bushingand attenuated into 'thin filaments. The filaments are then gathered at a gathering shoe into a strand which can be subsequently packaged, made directly intoa product, orfurther processed. When the strand is to be used for textile purposes, for example, it can be wound directly .on a collet which also provides the attenuating 'force forrthefilaments. The resulting package of strand is then subsequently suitably processed, such as being-wound with other strands, to form yarn.

In many cases,*the strand .is' attenuated from the bushing-.by means of a pulling wheel, suchas that shown in Russell Patent .No.-2,868,358.. The strand is partially wrappedaround the pulling wheel, which is rotated at high speed, and fis subsequently ejected therefrom and collected on asurface. Thev surface can be in the form of aconveyor belt, for example, with the strand deposited over the width of the belt and formed into a mat. The surface on which the strand is collected after moving past the pulling wheel-can also be in the form of a suitable receptacle, a vacuum drum from which the strand is made into sliver, or a cap winder, by way of example. Heretofore,-when the strand was collected on a surface, whether a belt, receptacle, a vacuum drum, etc., the strand could-not be slowed downisufiiciently by the time it reached the point of deposition. The strand may be moving at a lineal rate of 10,000 feet per minute or more and must be slowed substantially'before contacting the surface. If the strand is moving at an excessive rate at the point of contact,.the impingement can cause the strand to fila men tize, in which case the strand separates into some or all of the filaments from which it is made and itsintegrity is lost. The impingement can also cause the strand'to tangle, which v is particularly detrimental if the strand is to be subsequently removed lineally from the collecting surface for subsequent processing.

A few attempts have been made heretofore to slow downstrand sufficiently prior to being received on a collecting surface. Such attempts have met with limited suc- 3,409,195 Patented Nov. 5, 1968 cess, however, because of one or more of a number of difiiculties encountered. Such difficulties include inability to slow the strand sufficiently, inability to handle the strand sufficiently rapidly when moving at a high lineal speed, causing the strand to tangle, abrade, or break, high maintenance costs, lack of reliability of operation, and high initial costs.

In accordance with the invention, the apparatus for handling the strand includes a strand-receiving spinner having a circular transverse cross section and a diverging exit portion. The spinner is rotated at a high rate of speed and the strand is formed into loops with the forward ends of the loops received in the diverging portion of the spinner. The strand thereby is caused to be collected in the form of the loops and be moved slowly through the spin.- ner, emerging gradually and uniformly from the diverging portion thereof.

The spinner with the diverging end portion also is effective to form roving from the strand. In such an instance,v the strand is gathered by guide means located coaxially with the spinner, with the roving then drawn through the guide by suitable means.

It is therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide apparatus for collecting strand including a strandreceiving spinner having a diverging exit end portion.

Another principal object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for collecting strand on a surface while retaining its integrity and minimizing entanglement.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved strand-receiving spinner for aiding in collecting strand and forming roving therefrom.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for substantially slowing the forward travel of a strand of filaments prior to depositing,

the strand on a surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide a more reliable method and apparatus for slowing the forward speed of strand prior to collection thereof.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide relatively low cost apparatus for receiving strand and for gently depositing the strand on a surface, which apparatus is capable of handling the strand at high rates of speed without damage.

Many other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

of preferred embodiments thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an overall, somewhat schematic view in elevation of apparatus in accordance with the invention for.

collecting strand including means for producing glass filaments, for gathering the filaments into a strand, for pulling the strand, for looping the strand, for slowing the forward speed of the strand, and for receiving the slowly moving strand;

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged view in vertical cross section of the loop-forming mechanism and strand-receiving spinner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat schematic view in vertical cross section of modified loop-forming and strand-receiving means;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 3 of another ldler wheel 18, a pulling wheel 20, loop-forming means 22, a strand-receiving spinner 24, and a which the strand is deposited.

The bushing can be of any suitable type well known surface 26 on in the glass fiber art. The bushing includes an electricallyheated chamber containing molten glass and a plurality of bushing tips 28 having orifices through which the glass is pulled and attenuated into filaments 30 by the pulling wheel 20. The individual filaments 30 are coated with a suitable size which is applied by the applicator 14 of any suitable known design. The coated filaments are then gathered by the gathering shoe 16 and carried as a strand 32 over and around the pulling wheel 20. The pulling wheel 20 can be of any of several suitable designs but preferably is of the type employing a plurality of peripherally spaced slots having spokes which extend through the slots at predetermined peripheral positions to eject the strand 32 from the surface of the pulling wheel. A pulling wheel of this type is shown and discussed in detail in Russell Patent No. 2,868,358.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 2, the strand-receiving spinner 24 includes a hollow body 34 having a diverging exit portion 36 diverging from the loop-forming means 22. The portion 36, as shown, preferably is of conical shape but can also be bell-shaped. Above the diverging portion 36 is, in this instance, a short cylindrical portion or section 38 communicating with the upper end of the diverging portion 36. An upper diverging or conical portion 40 communicates with the cylindrical section 38, with all three of the portions 36-40 being concentric and coaxial with the axis of revolution of the body 34. The lower conical portion 36 preferably has a length from one-fourth to one-half the length of the body 34 and forms an included angle of 10, with an angle from approximately 5 to approximately being satisfactory. Narrower angles are unsatisfactory because the strand will not feed through the body satisfactorily while wider angles disperse the strand excessively.

The rotatable body 34 is rotatably supported by bearings 42 on supports 44. Any suitable drive can be employed for the body 34, the drive, in this instance, constituting sheaves 46 and 48, a belt 50, and a motor 52.

The loop-forming means 22, in this embodiment, is in the form of a pin wheel 54 having a hub 56 and a plurality of slanted pins 58 which are positioned to sequentially intercept the path of the strand 32 after leaving the pulley wheel to form loops in the strand. The pin wheel 54 is rotated for this purpose by a suitable drive 60.

The lineal speed of the strand 32, the number of pins 58 and rate of rotation of the pin wheel 54, and the distance the intercepting pins lie from the flared portion 36 of the body 34 are regulated so that the loops formed by the pins 58 will be received in the conical portion with the lower 100p ends deposited in or slightly below the conical portion 36. With this deposition, the strand cannot hang up in the spinner 24 as could otherwise occur if the lower ends of the loops were deposited in the upper conical end 40.

There are apparently three factors that aid in moving the strand loops downwardly uniformly and enable them to be deposited slowly and uniformly on the surface 26. The centrifugal force of the rotating body 34 acting on the lower loop ends tends to move the loops downwardly and outwardly in the conical portion 36. Second, the weight of the strand tends to move the loops downwardly under the influence of gravity. Third, the conical portion 36 of the body 34 tends to act as a pump and throw air outwardly along the surface thereof as the body rotates, the pumped air being drawn centrally through the body 34. With the upper conical portion also tending to pump air outwardly in the same manner, air will not tend to flow completely through the body 34 but, rather, will enter as a vortex from the respective diverging ends, moving toward the short cylindrical section 38 and then reversing direction and flowing outwardly along the surface 36, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2. Air also can be supplied from a suitable source to or near the central section 38, if desired. This action of the air also apparently has a substantial influence in moving the loops 4: downwardly and outwardly. In any event, the spinner 24 collects the loops and releases them from the conical end 36 with a minimum of forward impetus or motion. Consequently, the strand is deposited generally as a slowly moving veil onto the surface. The motion is sufficiently slow that there is no possibility that the strandwill filamentize as has heretofore often occurred. Second, the

strand contacting the surface has-no substantial forward motion which causes it to intertwine and entanglewith other strand which already. has been deposited. Consequently, when the strand is to be received in a receptacle forming the surface 26, for example, and is to be subsequently lineally removed from the surface for further processing, this can be accomplished without entanglement of the strand during removal.

Rather than employing the separate pin wheel 54, the loop-forming. means 22 can actually be in the form of integral pins or vanes 62 (FIG. 3) functionally integral with an upper diverging or conical portion 64 of a modified rotating body 66. The separate pin wheel 54 is preferred, however, since the pins or vanes 62 provide more resistance to the downward movement of th loops. Pins or vanes of this nature are discussed more fully in my Patent No. 3,118,213.

Another modified rotating body 68 is shown in FIG. 4,.

the body 68 being used with the pin wheel 54, in this instance. The rotating body 68 has a diverging or flared lower portion 70 which is bell-shaped rather than conical. In this instance, the body 68 does not have an upper diverging portion but simply terminates in an upwardly extending cylindrical section 72. To facilitate the deposition of the loops in the body 68, however, the upper end of the section 72 can be flared somewhat for this purpose. The loops of the strand can move downwardly somewhat more easily than with the body 34 of FIG. 2 since there are no forces tending to move the strand upwardly. Again, however, the lower ends of the loops preferably are deposited on or slightly below the flared surface 70 to assure proper and continued movement of the strand.

A spinner embodying the invention can also be used where the strand is to be collected in the form of roving, as shown in FIG. 5. The spinner embodying the invention, in this instance, includes a rotating hollow body 74 which can be similar to the body 34 of FIG. 2, havinga diverging exit end 76. A blower 78 is concentrically located with'respect to the holow body 74 and is suitably supported near the lower edge of the diverging exit end 76 by a bracket 80. The blower 78 includes'an air' supply pipe 82, a manifold chamber 84, and four radially disposed slots 86 which extend longitudinally of roving 88. The air supplied to the chamber 84 is emitted at high velocity through the narrow slots 86 and tends to tuck in the loop ends of the strand at the surface of the roving 88 as it is pulled through a central passage 90 in the blower 78. The roving is pulled, in this instance, by 'a suitable collet 92 upon which the roving is wound.

When the strand is deposited in the spinner, the lower' ends are preferably within or below the space defined by the exit end 76 of the spinner. A's lower ends 94 of'the strand are so deposited, they become entangled with angled portions 96 of the strand which are being pulled into the passage 90 by the collet 92. All of the strand loops are thus pulled into the blower passage and are twisted as the spinner continues to rotate and the blower 78 remains stationary.

The diverging end 76 of the spinner enables the strand portions 96 to always intercept the loop ends 94' and The strands shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 areforpu rposes of illustration and are not intended as exact reproductions of the actual strand. In operation, the strand loops are more numerous and build up in the spinner more thickly.

Various modifications of the above-described embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is to be understood that such modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, if they are within the spirit and the tenor of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for collecting a strand of filaments comprising means for moving strand along a lineal path, means movable into the path o-f-the strand to form loops of the strand with the lower ends of the loops a substantially predetermined distance therebelow, a rotatable ho'llow body, means for rotating said hollow body, and means below said hollow body for receiving the looped strand, the improvement comprising said hollow body having a lower diverging surface extending away from the loop-forming means to receive the strand, said rotatable diverging surface, when rotating, causing air to move downwardly and outwardly therealong in the general direction of movement of the strand, and also aiding in downward movement of the strand loops through said hollow body.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that an upper portion of said hollow body diverges in a direction toward said strand ejecting means.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized by said divergent surface being conical.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized by said means for receiving the looped strand constituting means forming a passage near the exit end of said divergent surface and coaxial with said rotatable hollow body, and means for pulling the looped strand through said passage means.

5. In apparatus for collecting a strand of glass filaments comprising means for moving strand along a lineal path, means forming a plurality of projections sequentially movable into the path of the strand, means for .rnoving said projecting means to move the projections into the path, to form loops of the strand, with the lower ends of the loops a predetermined distance below the projections, a rotatable hollow body, means for rotating said hollow body, and means below said hollow body for receiving strand therefrom, the improvement comprising said rotatable hollow body having a lower diverging surface extending away from said projections to receive directly the lower end portions of said strand loops, said rotatable diverging surface, when rotating, causing air to move with a downward component along the surface in the direction of movement of the strand loops, and also in aiding movement of the strand loops downwardly through the hollow rotatable body.

6. In a method for depositing strand with a low forward speed on a surface comprising moving a strand in a lineal direction at a high rate of speed, periodically intercepting and temporarily detaining portions of the strand to cause said strand to be formed into a multiplicity of sequential loop portions, directly receiving the lower ends of said loops on a surface diverging outwardly away from the direction from which the strand is supplied while rotating the surface at a high rate of speed to cause the strand loops to move in a direction away from the point of interception, and substantially uniformly releasing the strand loops from the large end of the diverging surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,719,352 10/ 1955 Slayter.

2,919,970 1/ 1960 Russell 226-97 XR 3,118,213 1/1964 Benson 57-140 FOREIGN PATENTS 848,970 9/1960 Great Britain.

M. HENSON WOOD, IR., Primary Examiner. I. P. MULLINS, Assistant Examiner. 

